Released by: Atomic Fire Records
Release Date: November 11th, 2022
Genre: Prog/Metal/Psych
Links: https://www.zekesky.com/
Line Up:
Zeke Sky | guitars, piano, synthesizer, bass, vocals
Adam Pierson | drums
Tracklist:
1. Overture
2. On The Tip Of The Tongue
3. Light The Sky
4. Intergalactic Demon King
5. Level The Heights
6. Light In The Hollow
7. Firewitch Forever
8. Faith And Sorrow
9. Endlessly Forever
10. Say Your Prayers
11. LionHeart
Forged from the fires of Nuclear Blast Records, Atomic Fire Records has been releasing some smoldering Metal and already featuring a slew of top-notch releases from such prominent artists the likes of HELLOWEEN, OPETH, MESHUGGAH, AMORPHIS, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, PRIMAL FEAR, SONATA ARCTICA etc, they sure seem like they are here to stay.
Here we have another gem of an album, featuring US multi-instrumentalist Zeke Sky with his debut “Intergalactic Demon King”. Falling in the must-check-out albums, and one that you may overlook, (don’t) Zeke is one talented guy as he plays guitars, piano, and vocals on this one. The themes around his debut are fantasy and telling stories of bravery, I have to admit one look at Zeke and I can see him fitting the part of a superhero as you listen to his debut he is one imposing dude, why do I get the images of him and He-Man, the Metal version? Don’t be fooled by the imagery alone, this album shreds from top to bottom.
One of the singles “Light The Sky” is a frenetic churner of up-tempo metal delights, prog, metal mayhem, excellent drumming, and some pretty stern vibes man, a real killer tune. The churner up-tempo rhythms in “Light in The Hollow” features some vicious frenetic new metal grooves, short and straight to the point, this tune simply shreds. The instrumental piece “Fire Witch” is another shredders delight, with some excellent upbeat drumming and thick distortion in parts, as it later cools things calmly towards the end. A cool instrumental perfectly placed in the running order of the record. The rising guitar licks in “Level The Heights” features Zeke throwing down a finger-tapping clinic, but later the ferociously shifts with a folky groove before it wrecks your neck with more insane poundage and some damn aggressive vocals!!! See the theme here? The madness keeps turning with more melting in-your-face metal and up-tempo grooves and shifts to give a grown man whiplash.
The music is an amalgamation of Heavy Metal, Melodic, and Progressive with Psychedelic influences. It’s an interesting blend and honestly one that works well. Not one weak track to be heard here, no fillers as they all get smashed to hell with a thundering display of heavy. For the newbie Metal listeners who have never heard of Zeke Sky, the imagery and themes may be a bit silly, but again don’t let that fool you, the music here is outstanding and one that deserves your attention this year.
Written by: Shadow Editor
Ratings: 8/10
About Author
- Fantasy Metal
- Shredder
- Ferocious Tempo Shifts
- 8
